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The flesh is not capable, in its present vileness, of performing perfect love.
Feigned love is the best that the outward man can perform through the will of the flesh and the glory of man.
Let us not glory in appearance, lest we be found to glory in his presence and suffer the wrath to come.
I'm not on Facebook, but it sounds interesting!!
BFA
Ok, so now I know 6 FB holdouts! I can try to send you the link in PM, if you like BFA.
BFA,I agree.
Man has seen love. Man has the ability to practice love. However, his attempts will not be perfect. In this thread, I don't sense anyone making a plea for perfect love.
Let us not glory in discension for the mere sake of discension. Let us not judge. Let us not quickly condemn those whom we have never met. Let us not assume that we are the mature ones while all others are the immature. Let us not assume that others are the swine when it may be us who don't deserve the pearls. Let's allow our yes to be yes and our no to be no, but let's speak loving, unveiled tones. Let's not speak about other's love for darkness without first facing our own. Let's practice love, even if it begins with the mere appearance of it.
BFA
BFA,Me too.
BFA
BFA,
The Lord has previously given us to agree on sin and forgiveness through blood, and now has given us to agree on the simplicity of witness as the spirit gives us to speak.
Between forgiveness and witness there is the intermediate area of the room of grace and its accompanying tribulations. As the Lord moved my thoughts from strong legalism into faith, the arena of grace seemed like returning unto being saved by works. This was a powerful difficulty in an emotional way to me from approximately 30 years of age until my early 50's.
It was emotionally painful to read that part of Paul's witness that spoke of his labors and suffering to minister to the Body of Jesus. It did not seem to connect with Galatians 3 and 4 and Romans 3-5.
The book of Hebrews was a further struggle wherein it spoke of suffering and sanctification and perfection.
Praise the Lord, as I am now almost 70, and little by little the Lord Jesus has been putting the pieces of the chain together in my heart and mind.
Much of what the Lord Jesus has given me to post on this forum would have been emotionally painful to me 30 years ago when it seemed to me that faith was the end of the journey. Faith was wonderfully sweet when it came to me, for I was heavily burdened under Moses by the time I left the SdA academia process.
The Lord our God has a pathway that leads to the Father wherein he is guiding each one of us his elect children.
May the grace of God be with all of us in his elect purpose.
Your brother in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Joe
BFA,Joe . . . Thanks for sharing more information regarding your journey. I'm always fascinated to learn more about people's stories. It's through their stories that you learn more about their heart and the reasons why things are important to them.
Yes, there was a time when I saw faith as a destination. But I've seen what naturally results from faith and I don't question the Spirit's abilities. I know that the Spirit creates change in the hearts of justified people and I praise Him for it. However, because it is His work and not mine, I don't spend alot of time worrying about it. There are things the Spirit convicts me to do. When He does, I listen.
It is for this reason that I started this thread. I believe that -- with the Spirit -- it is possible for people to be more conscious of the words they use and the way they treat people. In my mind, it is OK for us to spur one another on toward good works. This was my intent in this thread.
BFA
My flesh is always warring against the measure of grace that comes through faith. The Lord is making me more conscious of the spiritual idolatry and sorcery that is woven in my flesh like threads of gold. He is afflicting my soul for this spiritual abomination, yet he gives me grace for grace out of the fullness of his grace in Jesus our Lord.
BFA,I suspect that my experience has been quite similar. This instills in me greater faith, gratitude and worship, not concern.
BFA
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